From Cave Walls to FriendFeed

How old is social media?

At the core of social networking is connection. It has been going on for about the last 100,000 years or so.

People used to write stories about their lives through pictures on cave walls.

Juan Pablo Bonet first introduced a new way of communication for the deaf and today millions converse through sign language.

Can you hear me now?

In 1836, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail developed an electronic telegraph machine that sent a series of electric currents which made markings on tape. An alphabet was devised and long distance two-way communication was made possible with basic equipment.

Ancient Greece is the place where the earliest form of shorthand was documented. As early as 400BC, shortened versions of full words were carved on to marble using mostly vowels with slight variations to indicate consonants.

Rocket ships and email

In the late fifties during the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. This event caused the Americans to quickly get to work on the Advanced Research Projects Agency or ARPA which later became ARPA Network or ARPANET. Today, you and I know it as The Internet.

Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid 1400’s. His creation revolutionized communication. A&E named him the most influential person of the 20th century.

Shawn Fanning turned the music industry on its head with his invention of computer code and later Napster which allowed people to electronically share songs.

What does all of this have to do with Social Media?

In short, everything.

This is not about LinkedIn or Facebook, MySpace or Bebo, Twitter or FriendFeed.

Morse code, the Internet, hieroglyphs, the printing press, mp3s, shorthand and many other magnificent inventions have immeasurably helped us better connect with each other while sharing stories, knowledge and experiences.

But can any of this ever replace in-person interaction?

km

The Cell Phone Turns A Page

Have we lost the passion for reading books?

One of the rising categories in electronics over the last few years has been portable e-readers. If you’re not familiar, you can buy a device that will download full-length books. Then you can have a bunch of books all stored in one handy handheld device. You can buy one in the $250-$400 range.

There are a few models on the market. Read Gizmodo's take on all the models if you're not sure which one to buy. Amazon got a nice bump from Oprah last year and sold out of the Kindle - twice. The company is expected to announce the Kindle 2.0 for the U.S. market tomorrow.

Check Your Lane!

A spokesperson for the company said that their cell-ready device is coming too. You will be soon be able to download a book on to your phone or PDA.

And you thought people were distracted sending emails in traffic!

Just imagine some guy in front of you at a stoplight getting distracted because he's reading a novel. Of course if you're sitting on a long flight, these can be very handy.

Those Were The Days, My Friend

The newspaper industry was wildly successful for generations. Many have booked the funeral in the last couple of years.

Pardon the pun, but stop the presses!

Is this an issue about newspapers and books or our desire for news and content? Is this about holding a paper or book in our hands or the content itself?

Has our quest for information decreased?

This is about the ability for each of us to control our environment.

Our demand for instantly delivered content seems to increase every day. We want it now and we want it fast. We don't want to wait until tomorrow to read yesterday's news.

You know times are changing when The Huffington Post hosts its own inaugural ball for President Obama.

Now What?

The publishing industry needs to have a good look at the music industry’s reaction to downloading. The challenges may be similar, they may be different, but one thing is certain - change is here to stay.

If you’re in the area, join the free discussion on June 6th at BookCamp Toronto where some possible solutions for the publishing industry may arise.

Do you want books on your cell phone?

What does the future hold for the publishing industry?

km

Newsflash: Social Media Is Not A Fad

Let’s take a quick trip back to a simpler time when laptops were rocks and Facebook was a cave. It was a time when grunts meant complex sentences and networking was done around campfires after the beast was conquered.

It was discovered then that humans enjoyed the contact of other humans. Similarly it was revealed that humans enjoyed multiple visits from those they knew and called them “friends”. Experiences shared, stories told.

From 2,000,000 BC to Today

Fast-forward several million years and a new study by Cision – a media research company out of Chicago has discovered that social media is in fact on the rise in Canada. The sites with the biggest growth are globeandmail.com and cbc.ca

If you aren’t in Canada – The Globe And Mail is a national newspaper which has recently stepped up their online content in the wake of that industry’s crumble and CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – the national government funded television, radio and content company.

Content Content Content

Jay Krall from Cision says that social media and online content channels are the future. Not a big revelation but content still must be worthy of people’s time and people must know where it is and how to find it.

Not So Fast!

It’s dangerous to tell those not versed in the space to simply start a blog or sign up at social media sites or post their messages and content on a website. It’s like age-old issue in the music industry – bad music slammed over people’s heads will still not make it good.

Try It You'll Like It

Like with any piece of research, there are flaws. In this case, Cision measured online success by blog comments and mentions on “the social web” – love that term. It sounds like my dad talking about Nine Inch Nails as “that music you kids listen to”.

Reality and Media

Online is not the future, it is the present. As stated several times here and many more times to friends and colleagues – this isn't new media or new reality – this is media and reality.

How will you best harness the power of social media to help your business?

km

The Evolution of Content

The three words I use a lot are: content, context and community. Words that roll off the tongue and sound kinda cute but they are – in my opinion – essential to most of the stuff we do, create, consumer and share.

We All Have A Voice
Technorati estimates there are about 150 million blogs in the world – that number is probably low. Anyone with a laptop and an internet connection has the ability to create content and discussion starters.

There are no interviews, no one will vet you, your resume will not be scrutinized, and you may gain a sizeable audience for what you have to say.

Toys Toys Toys
The Consumer Electronics Show is on right now in Las Vegas and while the throng gawk and point and touch and fiddle with all the coolest latest stuff, the challenge remains that we need stuff to put on all these toys.

Content comes in all shapes and sizes and sounds and tastes. It’s all too overwhelming for any of us to get a handle on what is available.

You Have To Be Good
A musician without good songs can have the nicest guitar on the market and it doesn’t matter. You can spend thousands on a Hi-Def plasma surround sound system but you still need quality content or all you have are more dust collectors.

The challenge is not content – it is quality content. Quantity is a word usually reserved for items that hold no emotional value and the lowest price will usually win the day. It’s okay to search for the best price on bathroom tissue but not when you are selecting a new cell phone.

Choice Is Everywhere
I would never suggest that we don’t have gobs of excellent choices available to us. Great music is being made, top-notch movies are being produced, bright minds are finding a space in the blogosphere and the world of podcasts, and the cable companies are providing a wide choice of shows.

And if you are in the area, you should check out Podcamp Toronto February 21 and 22nd.

While we continue to feed our seemingly endless appetite for the newest and shiniest gadgets, it’s important for us to spend an equal amount of time on the content that goes on these things.

What are your thoughts?

km

Did You Know? Should You Know? Will You Know?

What's old may not necessarily be new again

I was speaking with a music industry exec today about ideas and how quickly they move through his office. This is a forward-thinking guy, always has been. He is still full of passion and ideas. He told me of a recent project he brought forward along with twenty possible executions. He holds hope that - if he's lucky - one or two will be accepted, adapted and implemented. The reason: because the way they've done it in the past is the way they're going to do it in the future.

This is not a shot against the music industry – the bruises have already reached bone – but it’s a reflection of the fact that the world is constantly changing.

What worked literally yesterday, may no longer be relevant.

Careers and Journeys

There was a day not too long ago, where the badge of honor was to stay in the same job or company for your entire career. My grandfather retired at age 55 with the gold watch after working for the same company since he left high school. Yes, he actually got a gold watch.

Today, it is common to work at several projects or companies at the same time, and travel through 8-10 or more careers - not jobs - in your lifetime. And that number will only increase.

Never Stop Searching

There are currently more scientists alive today than in any other time in history, combined. Medical research is creating longer lives. Technological advancements are giving us more opportunies to explore and create.

There are close to 7 Billion of us all crammed on less than one third of the area of Earth all trying to coexist and co-create. Unless there are challenges far too difficult to overcome, humans can do anything. The fact that anyone can write or read this blog is a freedom we can’t take for granted.

Exploration Never Ends

We are overwhelmed with information and the only guarantee I can ever make is that it won’t stop. It won’t even slow down. We are ravenous for information and content, and we are producing it constantly.

We Are Different But The Same

I often speak of integration with regards to media and entertainment. This is because I am fascinated by teamwork and how to meld two factions into one successful project. The world is one big integrated model – and as you know, it doesn’t usually meld that easily.

Did You Know?

Someone sent me a piece produced by SonyBMG which was first shown in Rome. You may have seen it, or I may have sent it to you. It’s called "Did You Know 3.0"

Give this five minutes of your life - it is worth it. If it scares you, it may be time for a splash of reality. If it excites you, brilliant!

km


SonyBMG: Rome'08 Did You Know 3.0
Music: Fatboy Slim - Right Here Right Now

Those You Know. Those You Knew.

I made a decision a couple of weeks ago that I would spend more time on the phone. My partners are laughing somewhere because I’m on it enough, but I meant for actual meaningful conversations. These chats were also meant to reconnect with so many people I had said “call you sometime”, “let’s catch up soon”, or “we gotta get together”.

Is any of this sounding familiar?

A few months ago, I found a number of a guy I knew in my radio days when he worked at a music label. He left the music industry years ago and is now a bigwig cell company exec dude. So I called the number, got his voice mail and left a message. Two days later, he left me a voice mail and was completely surprised and happy to hear from me. We don’t have business together anymore, we aren’t looking for something from each other, it was just a reconnection.

Has this happened to you?

Yesterday, both portable phones ran out of juice and my cell was buzzing all day. This was all because I was just reaching out to people to say hello and check on how they are doing.

When did you last do that?

I don’t suggest anyone should sit on the phone yackin' with their buddies all day - I am making business and industry connections - but it’s amazing what happens when you just pick up the phone and call someone you haven’t spoken with in a while.

And the moral of the story?

Let your mind wonder and think of someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Think of someone you keep 'meaning to call' - and call them. Today. That's social networking.

Which reminds me, there's a lot of lunch and coffee in my future...

Are you getting the urge to give it a try?

km

Integration for Tough Times

It’s difficult to find anyone who will paint the world economic picture with a rosy lining these days. At the APEC Summit last week, world leaders summarized that we’re in for at least 18 months of pain. That of course doesn’t mean things will simply go back to the way they were before this all happened, things never do. In this case, that’s a good thing!

The big news last week is that the big three U.S. automakers are crying the blues and want more money to stabilize their flawed business plans.

GM, Ford and Chrysler are “working together” on a solution. Three companies that have competed for consumer dollars for decades are now at the same table looking for solutions or bailouts or both.

In all my years in the music industry, it was a delicate dance between broadcasters, music companies, clients and retailers. We all had the same goal – to improve our profit margin and grow our audience or customer base - but each had a different way to get there. What makes it more interesting is all factions are related and need each other to a certain degree to attain those goals.

No one is a blameless victim here. There were mistakes made while greed ruled the day. But the solution is not more blame and finger pointing, it is time to work together.

Perhaps if you are worrying about issues with your company, the answers lie in working as a team with your suppliers and colleagues on solutions for both?

That is the core of co-creation and integration.

km